A new study out of Florida State University has found a link between eating disorders and frequent use of Facebook. The study was peformed by psychology professor Pamela K. Keel, and she studied 960 college women to complete the research.
According to a press release from the university, “Women who placed greater importance on receiving comments and ‘likes’ on their status updates and were more likely to untag photos of themselves and compare their own photos to friends’ posted photos reported the highest levels of disordered eating.”
Keel states that although Facebook is wonderful for staying connected, it also subjects women to more thin body image ideals that may increase their risk for eating disorders. Keel, with her co-authors Annalise G. Mabe and K. Jean Forney, published her work in an article titled “Do You ‘Like’ My Photo? Facebook Use Maintains Eating Disorder Risk,” which can be found in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
“Now it’s not the case that the only place you’re seeing thin and idealized images of women in bathing suits is on magazine covers,” Keel says. “Now your friends are posting carefully curated photos of themselves on their Facebook page that you’re being exposed to constantly. It represents a very unique merging of two things that we already knew could increase risk for eating disorders.”
Keel goes on to say, “Consider what it is you are pursuing when you post on Facebook. Try to remember that you are a whole person and not an object, so don’t display yourself as a commodity that then can be approved or not approved.”